The present invention relates to jewelry and, more particularly, to jewelry having means for mounting a stone with a peripherally grooved girdle.
Notwithstanding the thousands of years during which jewelry has been used to display precious, semi-precious and less than semi-precious stones, the mounting of stones for jewelry remain problematic. Where a stone is secured to a mounting by prongs of the mounting which have been bent over to entrap the stone, the very act of peening or swagging (i.e., bending the prong) to at least some degree weakens the prong so that it may fail at a later date (with possible loss of the stone), while the very presence of the many prong free ends extending over a portion of the table of the stone detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the stone. Further, most mountings are capable of retaining a stone only when the stone is in a fixed upright or vertical orientation (transverse relative to the mounting) and are not well suited for maintaining a stone in a horizontal orientation (generally parallel to the mounting).
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide jewelry in which the stone is secured to the mounting with a high degree of reliability.
Another object is to provide such jewelry which does not require the use of prongs.
A further object is to provide such jewelry wherein the stone may be mounted to the mounting in a horizontal or vertical orientation, as desired.
It is also an object of the present invention is to provide such jewelry which does not conceal any part of upper surface of the stone.
It is a further object to provide such jewelry which is easy to construct and maintain.
It has now been found that the above and related objects of the present invention are obtained in jewelry formed of four components: a stone, a mounting for mounting the stone, a flexible wire and securing means. The stone defines a crown, a pavilion, and a girdle therebetween, the girdle having a 360xc2x0 peripheral groove ground thereinto. The flexible wire has a portion disposed totally within the groove and extending at least 90xc2x0 about the stone. The securing means secures together the mounting and the wire, thereby to secure together the mounting and the stone.
In a preferred embodiment, the groove extends inwardly into the stone and is 0.25-0.35 mm (preferably about 0.3 mm) in height and is 0.35-0.45 mm (preferably about 0.4 mm) in depth. The groove is defined by a plurality of flats, each flat having a length not greater than 0.3 mm.
Preferably the wire has another portion, and the securing means secures together the mounting and another portion. The wire mounts the stone in either a generally transverse orientation relative to the mounting or a generally parallel orientation relative to the mounting. The wire preferably extends at least about 180xc2x0 about the stone within the groove. Optimally the wire extends essentially 360xc2x0 within the groove and has a pair of opposed ends welded together. It may be resiliently stretchable to receive therethrough one of the pavilion and the crown of the stone before entering the groove.
Typically the stone is round and defines at least sixteen additional facets relative to a conventional stone of a like cut. Preferably the wire is weldable to the mounting.
The present invention also encompasses jewelry comprising three components: a stone, a mounting for mounting the stone, and a wire. The stone defines a crown, a pavilion, and a girdle therebetween, the girdle having a 360xc2x0 peripheral groove ground thereinto. The wire has a first portion and at least a second portion. The wire first portion is at least partially disposed within the groove and extends at least 300xc2x0 about the stone. The wire second portion is disposed outside of said groove and mechanically secured to the mounting, thereby to secure together the mounting and the stone.
Preferably the wire is formed of metal, and the securing means welds or solders together the wire and the mounting means. The wire is substantially flexible, extends essentially 360xc2x0 within the groove and has a pair of opposed ends twisted together to form the second portion. Alternatively, the wire is substantially stiff and formed of titanium.